Comparing employee appreciation in Germany and the US Open Access

Appreciating employees fosters positive work-related behaviors such as job retention (Beck, 2016; Edgar et al., 2015; McEvoy and Henderson, 2012; Proper et al., 2009) or job performance (Edgar et al., 2015; Najera, 2008) while it decreases negative work behaviors such as blaming (Davis et al., 2021) or a resigned attitude (Elfering et al., 2017). In a Forbes study, 66% of employees reported that they were likely to quit their job in response to lacking appreciation at work (Lipman, 2017). This suggests that employees expect a certain level of appreciation, and that this expectation should be met by organizations, superiors, and colleagues. However, how much appreciation employees expect and how much appreciation they receive might depend on the cultural context. In multinational organizations, providing an appropriate level of appreciation may be particularly challenging, as a one-size-fits-all approach to expressing appreciation may not be viable. Specifically, in more individualistic cultures, employees may expect and receive appreciation primarily for individual achievements, whereas in less individualistic cultures, appreciation may be given for a broader range of work-related behaviors and traits. As appreciation can be easily expressed across cultural contexts, it is therefore valuable to examine cross-cultural differences in the perceived importance and receipt of appreciation for a variety of work-related behaviors and traits.

In this research, we compare workplace appreciation in Germany and the US, two of the world's largest economies. In terms of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2023, Germany ranked first in Europe and third globally, while the United States ranked first worldwide (Laenderdaten.info, n.d.). According to the German Federal Statistical Office, German multinational organizations operating outside Germany are most active in the US, with 5,070 organizations employing approximately 720,000 people (Statistisches Bundesamt, 2025). Therefore, comparisons between the German and the US working context are crucial to inform these multinational organizations.

This study aims to explore employee appreciation across Germany and the US in various ways by comparing (1) how important appreciation is to employees, (2) how much appreciation employees receive, (3) the degree of felt appreciation, i.e. the balance between importance and receipt ranging from under- to overappreciation, (4) the amount of appreciation conveyed by superiors and colleagues, and (e) the strength of relations between appreciation and employees' job satisfaction and organizational identification.

Most definitions of appreciation emphasize expressing some form of recognition toward others. For example, Semmer et al. (2007) describe appreciation as recognizing an individual's uniqueness, achievements, and qualities which is demonstrated through praise, interest in their concerns, and acknowledgment of them as a person. A broader definition by Stocker et al. (2019, p. 33) describes appreciation simply as “communicating that one values someone else.” Similarly, practice-oriented literature highlights behaviors such as affirming words, acts of support, and quality time as ways to signal appreciation at the workplace (Chapman and White, 2011). These definitions, however, overlook a crucial aspect: appreciation is not just about expressing value, but it must also be perceived as such by the recipient (Wahl et al., 2025). To address this, we adopt a more recent definition that defines employee appreciation as “employees' perception of being valued by others through positive signals regarding their individual characteristics and/or their work-related behaviors and competencies” (Wahl et al., 2025, p. 10).

Davis et al. (2021) describe appreciation as a feeling of balance between the importance an individual places on receiving appreciation and the amount they actually receive. When appreciation is more important to a person than what they receive, they experience underappreciation, whereas receiving more appreciation than they find necessary leads to overappreciation. In their study, Davis et al. (2021) measured this balance using a single item for the importance of receiving appreciation for one's work and another for the amount received, calculating the difference to create a continuum from underappreciation to overappreciation, i.e., degree of felt appreciation. They found that most employees either experienced the right level of appreciation or they felt underappreciated. In our study, we extend Davis et al.'s (2021) approach to measuring the degree of felt appreciation from under- to overappreciation by using various behaviors and traits for which employees might seek and receive appreciation. Additionally, we conduct a comparison between employees in two cultures, Germany and the US.

Employees often expect and receive appreciation for specific work behaviors or individual traits. Focus groups have shown that employees value appreciation for various work-related behaviors, such as personal achievements, extraordinary commitment, and personal traits, such as punctuality, reliability, flexibility (Stranzl and Ruppel, 2024). A quantitative study by Hagelstein et al. (2025) examined 24 work-related behaviors and traits, comparing the appreciation employees seek with what they actually receive. The findings show that employees are recognized for similar work-related behaviors and individual traits for which they seek appreciation, such as reliability and solution-orientation. Building on this, the present study examines for each specific behavior and trait identified by Hagelstein et al. (2025) whether employees feel adequately appreciated, underappreciated, or overappreciated.

Before perceiving appreciation, employees must first be signaled that they are valued. This places employee appreciation within the broader context of employee communication, which spans all hierarchical levels and can take various forms, i.e., formal or informal, controlled or spontaneous, one-way or dialogic, and direct or mediated (Einwiller et al., 2021). Appreciation can be communicated by organizations, superiors, and colleagues. Yet, because it is superiors and colleagues who directly observe employees' work-related behaviors and traits, they are the primary communicators of appreciation (Beck, 2016; Stocker et al., 2014; Stranzl and Ruppel, 2024). Communicating appreciation is an essential part of a superior's role (Stocker et al., 2014), making leadership a key factor in this process. Several leadership theories incorporate appreciation to some extent. Transformational leadership (Bass, 1990), for example, emphasizes individual consideration, which can be seen as a form of appreciation. Similarly, contingent rewards within leader-member exchange theory (Graen and Uhl-Bien, 1995) can also serve as expressions of appreciation. Beyond leadership, social exchange theory (Blau, 1964; Homans, 1958) applies to both superiors and colleagues, suggesting that individuals seek to balance costs and benefits. In this context, appreciation can be perceived as a reward for a job well done. However, whether employees receive more appreciation from their superiors or colleagues can have potential implications for organizational practices.

Both qualitative and quantitative research indicate that appreciation enhances positive work-related feelings while reducing negative ones. For example, appreciation has been linked to increased job satisfaction (Baas and Cayla, 2020; Batova, 2018; Buzea, 2014; Elfering et al., 2017; Garrido Vásquez et al., 2020; Muskat and Reitsamer, 2020; Stocker et al., 2010; Whitford and Moss, 2009) and higher work motivation (Batova, 2018; Muntz and Dormann, 2020; Seitl et al., 2024). Conversely, appreciation has been negatively associated with negative outcomes, such as a greater intention to leave (Apostel et al., 2018; Davis et al., 2021; Najera, 2008). Only one qualitative study to date has specifically examined the effects of lacking appreciation, finding that it contributes to increased team tension and higher turnover rates (Beck, 2016). These results align with self-determination theory (Deci and Ryan, 2008; Ryan and Deci, 2000), as appreciation supports autonomy by acknowledging personal initiative, reinforces competence by affirming skills and contributions, and nurtures relatedness by enhancing social bonds, all of which foster motivation. Although organizational identification, which is defined as the sense of belonging to an organization (Mael and Ashforth, 1992), is widely recognized as a positive work-related feeling, its potential link to appreciation remains unexplored (Wahl et al., 2025). Accordingly, the present study hypothesizes positive relationships of the degree of felt appreciation with appreciation received from superiors and colleagues, job satisfaction, and organizational identification:

Hofstede (2001, 2011) suggested that people within a group share similar experiences, leading to the development of common values. These deeply rooted values stem, for example, from a shared nationality and contribute to cultural differences between countries. Five key dimensions define these differences: first, power distance describes the extent to which unequal power distribution is expected and accepted; second, uncertainty avoidance refers to the degree of discomfort with ambiguity; third, individualism indicates the preference for personal goals over group goals; fourth, masculinity, which was later referred to as motivation towards achievement and success, reflects the emphasis on achievement over cooperation; and fifth, long term orientation represents the extent to which people focus on the future. Although, Hofstede's study has been criticized for conceptional and methodological flaws (cf. McSweeney, 2002), the model remains widely used to analyze cultural differences (Ding and Wang, 2023; Jan et al., 2024).

The national cultures of Germany and the US differ in several ways. In his seminal study conducted in the 1960s and 1970s, Hofstede (2001) identified major cultural distinctions between Germany and the United States, particularly in the dimensions of individualism and uncertainty avoidance. According to his findings, Germans tend to place greater emphasis on collective goals and exhibit higher discomfort with uncertainty compared to their US counterparts. Similar findings were demonstrated by the GLOBE study (cf. House et al., 2004) with lower performance orientation and more uncertainty avoidance in Germany than in the US. A more recent study placed Germany and the US in a similar cultural cluster, however, they differ in subdimensions (Minkov and Kaasa, 2022). In contrast to Hofstede and the GLOBE study, it found that German culture places more emphasis on individual goals than US culture. This difference may be partly explained by increasing workplace diversity due to migration from less individualistic Latin American countries to the US. Additionally, Minkov and Kaasa (2022) found that the German culture is more tied to pride and tradition, while US culture is more adaptable and flexible, which relates to Hofstede's (2001) findings that Germans are more uncertainty avoidant. Comparing the importance employees attribute to appreciation, Rehu et al. (2005) found that both German and US employees rated it relatively high. However, the German sample placed less value on appreciation that emphasizes individual performance, such as “Employee of the Month” awards, than the US sample.

Given the cultural differences reported above, certain assumptions can be made regarding the perceived importance of employee appreciation. In individualistic cultures, such as the US, employees tend to place greater value on individual performance. Consequently, appreciation directed at individual achievements is expected to be rated as more important than in cultures that are less individualistic. Furthermore, in uncertainty-avoidant cultures, such as Germany, employees may seek reassurance to enhance their sense of self-efficacy. As a result, these cultures may place greater importance on appreciation for a broad range of work-related behaviors and traits compared to cultures with lower levels of uncertainty avoidance. Thus, we hypothesize:

Aside from cultural differences, German and US labor laws differ significantly. Germany provides strong employee protections with a focus on job security, whereas the US follows an employment-at-will model, offering less job security. Additionally, labor protections regarding working hours and leave are stronger in Germany (cf. PayInOne Team, 2024). As a result, organizations in Germany cannot easily replace their employees and instead rely more on their cooperation, making positive work relationships essential. Likewise, employees are aware that they will work with their colleagues for an extended period and are therefore motivated to maintain good relationships.

Cultural and labor law differences may affect managers' communication of appreciation. Studies comparing leadership styles in Germany and the US indicate that German managers exhibit lower levels of transformational leadership than their US counterparts (Ardichvili and Kuchinke, 2002; Kuchinke, 1999). However, German managers emphasize the encouragement of employees more than managers in the US (Martin et al., 2009). Taking into account that German managers encourage their employees more as well as cultural and labor law differences stated above, we expect employees in Germany to receive more appreciation and for supervisors and colleagues in Germany to provide more appreciation than in the US. Thus, we hypothesize:

The balance between the importance of appreciation and the appreciation actually received reflects the degree of felt appreciation, ranging from under- to overappreciation (Davis et al., 2021). In our previous hypotheses, we first expect that German employees place greater importance on appreciation on a broad range of work-related behaviors and traits while US employees mainly want appreciation for their individual performance. Second, we expect that German employees receive more appreciation than their US counterparts. Combining H3 and H4 leads us to expect that German employees report a higher degree of felt appreciation than US employees. Thus, we hypothesize:

Following approval from the institutional review board, we collected data via an online survey, using both German and English versions of the same questionnaire. First, the polling company GapFish gathered data from a German sample between December 13 and 14, 2023 ^[1]. Second, approximately a year later Prolific collected data from a US sample on January 16, 2025. All participants were required to work in organizations with more than 50 employees, where communication structures tend to be more formalized (Einwiller and Boenigk, 2012). To ensure relevant workplace experience, we excluded individuals with employment contracts of fewer than ten hours per week. Additionally, participants with missing data and those whose completion times fell below the median (cf. Greszki et al., 2015; German survey: <257 s; US survey: <298 s) were removed. Each country's data collection contributed approximately half of the final sample of 923 employees, 467 from Germany and 456 from the US. Participant ages ranged from 18 to 70 years (M = 38, SD = 10.77). Slightly more females (n = 487) participated than males (n = 427), with a few participants identifying as another gender (n = 7) or choosing not to disclose their gender (n = 2). Most participants had completed a university degree (65%), worked for their employer for three to five years (32%), were employed by for-profit organizations (70%), worked in organizations with 500–999 employees (34%), held white-collar positions (81%), and occupied management roles (68%). Table 1 provides a detailed overview of the total sample and its German and US subgroups. It demonstrates that the two samples are quite similar regarding age, gender, level of education, work experience, organization size and type, participants position, and managerial role, however, the German sample worked in larger organizations than the US sample.

Both subgroups received the same surveys, with the only differences being some response options that varied according to differing systems, e.g., education, occupation. To assess the degree of felt appreciation ranging from under- to overappreciation, they were presented with the 24 work-related behaviors and traits that employees might be recognized for from Hagelstein et al. (2025). First, participants rated the importance of receiving appreciation for each work-related behavior or trait (1 = not important at all; 7 = very important). Next, they indicated how much appreciation they actually received for each behavior or trait (1 = very little; 7 = very much). The degree of felt appreciation ranging from under- to overappreciation was then calculated by subtracting the importance rating from the received appreciation rating: negative values indicate underappreciation, 0 indicates the adequate amount of appreciation, and positive values indicate overappreciation (cf. Davis et al., 2021). These items are used individually; they were also combined to form the degree of felt appreciation scale (α = 0.96).

To determine the sources of appreciation, participants responded to eight behavior-based statements derived from previous research (Jacobshagen et al., 2008; Rafferty and Griffin, 2004; Sirgy et al., 2001; Weiss and Zacher, 2022; White and Bragg, 2012). Four of these items specifically addressed supervisor appreciation (α = 0.94; e.g. “I feel that my supervisor appreciates me”), and the other four focused on colleague appreciation (α = 0.93; e.g. “I feel that my colleagues appreciate me”). Items were rated on a scale from 1 (does not apply at all) to 7 (fully applies).

Employees' job satisfaction was measured using four items from Thompson and Phua (2012; α = 0.94), and organizational identification was assessed with six items from Mael and Ashforth (1992; α = 0.93). Both scales used a response format ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Table 2 depicts scale descriptives and scale intercorrelations.

To answer H1a–d regarding the associations between the degree of felt appreciation and appreciation of supervisors, appreciation of colleagues, job satisfaction, and organizational identification, Pearson correlations ^[2] were calculated (see Table 2). To further explore country differences, Pearson correlations were calculated separately for each country. The correlations were then converted into z-values and the difference between the z-values of the respective countries was calculated (see Table 3).

To test H2, H3, and H5, we conducted three second-level analyses using the lme4 package (Bates et al., 2025) in R to examine the importance of appreciation, the receipt of appreciation, and the degree of felt appreciation, respectively. Second-level analysis is appropriate because the data is longitudinally nested, with each participant responding to 24 items (Bauer et al., 2020). Therefore, we included individual participants as the second-level factor. Gender was restricted to male and female and included as a covariate, given prior evidence that it influences perceptions of appreciation (Beck, 2016; Pohrt et al., 2022). For each second-level analysis, first, we fitted a baseline model including country and gender as fixed effects, and participant and the 24 items as random intercepts. Second, we fitted a model allowing for item-by-country interactions. Third, to examine whether the interaction model fits better than the baseline model, we compared the two models using analyses of variance. Fourth, to test for each item whether the German or the US sample rated it higher, we used contrasts (R package emmeans, Lenth et al., 2025). Finally, we plotted the estimated means for each country using the ggplot2 R package (Wickham, 2016). The plots for the importance of appreciation, the receipt of appreciation, and the degree of felt appreciation are presented in Figures 1–3, respectively.

A second-level analysis was also conducted to answer H4 regarding the appreciation by supervisors and colleagues. As appreciation by supervisors and appreciation by colleagues are nested within one person this analysis is appropriate (Bauer et al., 2020). We followed the previously outlined analytical steps of fitting a base-line model and testing it against an interaction model. Again, gender was restricted to male and female and included as a covariate.

The overall correlations between the degree of felt appreciation and appreciation from superiors and colleagues, job satisfaction, and organizational identification ranged from 0.38 to 0.56 (all p < 0.001; see Table 2). These results support H1a–d, indicating that the more appreciation employees feel, the higher the appreciation from their superiors and their colleagues, and the higher their job satisfaction and organizational identification. The exploration of country differences revealed that these relationships were similarly strong in Germany (0.34–0.53, all p < 0.001) and the US (0.37–0.58, all p < 0.001; see Table 3). The cross-country comparisons of the correlations of the degree of felt appreciation showed no significant differences for appreciation from a superior (Δz = −1.33, p = 0.09), appreciation from colleagues (Δz = −1.06, p = 0.14), job satisfaction (Δz = −0.19, p = 0.42), or organizational identification (Δz = −0.45, p = 0.33). These findings suggest that the degree of felt appreciation has similar effects in Germany and the US.

For the importance of appreciation ratings, the interaction model provided a significantly better fit than the basic model, χ²(45) = 498.65, p < 0.001. The interaction model revealed a significant interaction between country and item, F(23, 21271) = 16.78, p < 0.001, a significant main effect of country, F(1, 21841) = 301.96, p < 0.001, a significant main effect of item, F(23, 21171) = 53.81, p < 0.001, and a significant effect of the covariate gender, F(1, 17899) = 152.84, p < 0.001.

Pairwise comparisons of country differences for each importance item indicated significant differences in 21 of the 24 importance ratings. In 19 cases, the German sample rated work-related behaviors and traits as more important than the US sample did. However, in two cases the pattern was reversed, with higher ratings among US participants for the items “For my individual performance” and “For professional tasks that I complete.” These results are consistent with H2, suggesting that US employees want appreciation for individual achievements, whereas German employees want appreciation for a broader range of work-related behaviors and traits (see Figure 1). The significant covariate gender indicates that appreciation is more important to women than to men.

For the receipt of appreciation ratings, the interaction model provided a significantly better fit than the basic model, χ²(45) = 307.78, p < 0.001. The interaction model revealed a significant interaction between country and item, F(23, 21276) = 9.14, p < 0.001, a significant main effect of country, F(1, 21853) = 1180.53, p < 0.001, a significant main effect of item, F(23, 21276) = 26.08, p < 0.001, and a significant effect of the covariate gender, F(1, 20845) = 407.34, p < 0.001.

Pairwise comparisons of country differences for each receipt item indicated significant differences in 23 of the 24 receipt ratings. In all 23 cases, the German sample stated to receive more work-related behaviors and traits than did the US sample. Only for the item “For my individual behavior” no significant difference was found. These results are consistent with H3, suggesting that German employees receive more appreciation for their work-related behaviors and traits (see Figure 2). The significant covariate gender reveals that women report to receive more appreciation than men.

For the appreciation by supervisors and colleagues, the interaction model did not provide a better fit than the basic model, χ²(1) = 2.19, p = 0.139. However, the basic model reveals a significant main effect for country, t(1609) = −3.79, p < 0.001. Contrasts reveal higher scores of appreciation by supervisors and colleagues in the German sample than in the US sample, t(1629) = 3.79, p < 0.001, M = 0.23 units higher, SE = 0.06. Thus, H4 is supported. Furthermore, the covariate gender was significant, t(1720) = 5.65, p < 0.001. The significant effect of the covariate gender indicates that women report to receive more appreciation from both their supervisors and their colleagues.

For the degree of felt appreciation the interaction model provided a significantly better fit than the basic model, χ²(45) = 134.48, p < 0.001. The interaction model revealed a significant interaction between country and item, F(23, 21273) = 2.97, p < 0.001, a significant main effect of country, F(1, 21857) = 324.56, p < 0.001, a significant main effect of item, F(23, 21273) = 6.55, p < 0.001, and a significant effect of the covariate gender, F(1, 18251) = 75.33, p < 0.001.

Pairwise comparisons of country differences for each degree of felt appreciation item indicated significant differences in 23 of the 24 importance ratings. In all 23 cases, the German sample rated to feel a higher degree of appreciation for work-related behaviors and traits than did the US sample. Only for the item “For my personality” no significant difference was found. These results are consistent with H5, suggesting that German and US employees differ in their degree of felt appreciation (see Figure 3). The significant effect of the covariate gender suggests that women report a higher degree of felt appreciation than men.

Notably, a degree of felt appreciation of 0 would suggest that importance and receipt ratings are in balance and that employees receive the right amount of appreciation without being under- or overappreciated. However, all 24 means are well below 0 and none of the 95% confidence intervals include 0. This result suggests that employees generally feel underappreciated.

This survey study demonstrates that German employees consider receiving appreciation for most behaviors and traits as more important than US employees do. However, for individual performances and completed professional tasks a reversed effect emerged, with US employees placing the highest importance on appreciation for individual performances. German employees report to receive more appreciation than US employees, except for receiving appreciation for individual performances. For the degree of felt appreciation, which ranges from underappreciation to overappreciation, both, employees from Germany and from the US, feel underappreciated at work, with employees in the US reporting more underappreciation than German employees. German employees receive more appreciation from their superiors and their colleagues than US employees. Furthermore, the degree of felt appreciation is positively related to the extent to which employees feel appreciated by supervisors and colleagues, their job satisfaction, and their organizational identification, with no differences in strength between countries.

Extending extant knowledge, this study reveals country-differences regarding appreciation. As predicted on the basis of previous research on cultural differences between the US and Germany (Hofstede, 2001; House et al., 2004), our study demonstrated that US employees attached the greatest importance to the appreciation of individual performance and also received the highest amount of appreciation for this behavior. This finding is backed by previous research that US employees attribute greater value to recognition of individual achievements than their German counterparts (Rehu et al., 2005). However, latest research by Minkov and Kaasa (2022) that considers Germany to be more individualistic than the US is not supported by our findings. Our results furthermore corroborate prior findings that German managers tend to place stronger emphasis on encouraging employees compared to US managers (Martin et al., 2009).

Overall, employees in both countries perceive underappreciation. This result aligns with qualitative and quantitative research (Hagelstein et al., 2025; Davis et al., 2021; Stranzl and Ruppel, 2024) showing that the importance and receipt of appreciation varies across work-related behaviors and traits. Furthermore, it extends these findings by employing the felt degree of appreciation, showing that employees feel largely underappreciated for these behaviors and traits. Our results also indicate that US employees feel more underappreciated than German employees in various work-related behaviors and traits, which can be attributed to differences in labor laws. As German employers have a stronger legal obligation to their employees than US employers (cf. PayInOne Team, 2024), appreciating employees might be more important in German organizations.

This study contributes to appreciation research by highlighting that the way appreciation is measured is key. We applied Davis et al.’s (2021) approach of calculating the degree of felt appreciation, i.e. subtracting the importance of appreciation from the appreciation actually received. This approach offers a more accurate assessment of appreciation than relying on either measure alone, as receiving appreciation does not necessarily equate to receiving the right amount or being adequately appreciated. In communication trainings, organizations can use our items and this approach to find out the preferences of their employees regarding appreciation. This would inform national and multinational organizations for which work-related behaviors and traits they should signal more appreciation to their employees.

Our results support previous research showing that appreciation enhances job satisfaction (Baas and Cayla, 2020; Batova, 2018; Buzea, 2014; Elfering et al., 2017; Garrido Vásquez et al., 2020; Muskat and Reitsamer, 2020; Stocker et al., 2010; Whitford and Moss, 2009) and extends it by demonstrating a positive relation between the felt degree of appreciation and organizational identification. Although US employees feel more underappreciated than German employees, the strength of relations of the degree of felt appreciation with appreciation from superiors and colleagues, job satisfaction, and organizational identification did not differ between the two countries. This means that although the baseline level of the degree of felt appreciation differs, the way appreciation influences employees' job satisfaction and organizational identification is not affected.

Our findings suggest that multinational organizations operating in Germany as well as in the US should consider cultural differences when signaling appreciation to their employees. US employees should receive recognition for their individual work performance in particular, while German employees should be given appreciation for various work-related behaviors and traits. However, this entails two potential pitfalls that organizations need to be aware of. First, employees' individual preferences for appreciation are unique and may differ from the national-level tendencies identified in this research. Relying solely on national preferences could therefore reinforce stereotypes. Second, expressing appreciation differently across countries within the same multinational organization may lead to perceptions of unequal treatment. As our results show that employees in both countries feel underappreciated, organizations should place more emphasis on conveying appreciation to their employees, regardless of where they work.

A limitation of this study is that data collection in Germany took place a year before data collection in the US, thus differences could also be influenced by social and organizational changes over time. However, national cultures tend to remain relatively stable over time (Beugelsdijk et al., 2015), making this time lag less significant. Additionally, we do not expect that geopolitical changes affected signaled and received appreciation in organizations. While we attribute our results primarily to differences in national culture, organizational factors, such as organizational culture, economic context, and management style, may also influence employees' expectations of appreciation and should be examined in future research. Furthermore, our sample consisted almost entirely of employees who felt underappreciated. Therefore, conclusions about overappreciated employees cannot be drawn from this study.

This study only examined differences in appreciation between countries and argues that the differences are due to cultural differences. However, we did not examine which of Hofstede's (2001, 2011) dimensions lead to higher expectations of appreciation, which could be examined in future research. In future research, it would also be valuable to examine differences in appreciation between countries with greater cultural differences, for example comparing individualistic cultures like Germany and the US with collectivistic ones such as China.

As work becomes increasingly virtual and organizations rely more on technology-mediated communication, expressions of appreciation from superiors and colleagues are likewise conveyed through these channels. Future research should therefore examine how appreciation communicated via different media affects employees.

This study examined differences in appreciation between Germany and the US, considering how important appreciation is to employees, how much appreciation they actually receive, and the degree of felt appreciation ranging from under- to overappreciation. The findings show that US employees place the greatest importance on appreciation for individual performance and completed professional tasks, whereas German employees desire more appreciation than their US counterparts for a range of work-related behaviors and traits. Across both countries, employees generally feel underappreciated, with US employees experiencing this to a greater extent. These results contribute to cross-cultural research on employee behavior and underscore the importance of effectively communicating appreciation in workplaces.

We would like to thank Vanessa Meidl for translating the survey from German into English and for her help in collecting the US data. We also would like to thank Petro Tolochko and Hannah Greber for valuable discussions regarding second-level analysis.